experiments in acoustics

© Jake Askeland

Abstract

Literature review of acoustical properties of various materials for use in treatment of a home studio. Focus is on inexpensive products and designs to correct the most common and problematic studio flaws with simple, do-it-yourself projects. Minimal discussion of physical mathematics.

Acoustical Treatment of Home Studios

The independent label or artist no longer struggles to find professional quality recording equipment at an affordable price; however, home studios still go acoustically untreated. Given that the recording industry been shifting toward smaller and less expensive organizations that are producing, recording, and mixing music, controlled and predictive acoustical designs for home studios with are now in great demand. Those who want better room acoustics are not necessarily the same people who want to learn all about sound physics. Musicians, it would seem, make the bulk of the growing population of home studio enthusiasts. (more…)

Jake: Do you have any favorite songs or albums?

Paul: Sure I know lots of favorite songs and albums.

Jake: Anything in particular?

Paul: Alright, the most played album in my collection is Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Smith – Blue Bash. I’ve worn out one copy on vinyl and I’m in the enjoyable process of wearing out my second. I have it on CD also but it doesn’t sound nearly as good as the vinyl. Recorded by Van Gelder. Recorded in his home, his personal studio… actually his parents home.

Jake: How would you define the field you’re working in?

Paul: The field I’m working in, I help musicians get their music out so that it can be heard at its best.

Jake: I understand you have more than a working knowledge of acoustics because of your interest in sound production. More broadly though, how does acoustical knowledge help you do what you do?

Paul: The biggest way is it allowed me to design a room for careful listening, which is what we’re sitting in right now and its a very important tool in what I do. So over the years having worked in a few studios and having built several I’d learned enough that when I built these two new rooms I had a lot better idea what I was doing than previously and so I was able to build very workable tools, that’s the main thing that counts. Additionally, when I have to listen in other rooms, I have a better idea of what I’m listening around. And I do listen in other rooms, I check my work in a variety of other rooms including cars, and so that’s helpful. That’s the main thing.

Jake: So if I have a small studio apartment, approximately 2000 cubic feet, and I’d like to use if, for example: for mixing, single track recording and mastering; and I can afford maybe $1000 to improve the acoustics, what should I do? (more…)

Movable isolators are used to baffle instruments such as drum kits during multitrack recording sessions. Without them, bleed can be a major problem for recording most musicians. Below, I’ve compiled a theoretical to-do list for building such an isolator on a budget, as a DIY project. As of this post, a lengthy explanation of what to get and why to get it is at hand. The step by step instructions are to come.

What to get and why to get it.

A. Decide what you want to do.

1. For general purpose isolators in studios, 4’ high absorbers block out most lateral bleed from drums and amps at the frequencies that really matter.

2. To absorb anything effectively, a barrier that surrounds the subject to be isolated needs to be made so that no gaps (small enough to fit a paper through) are open between the four corners. To achieve this, I suggest making the sides of the isolators fit together with soft, durable materials, then lock with something like a well placed gate latch. Its time consuming but without such locking, it might not work half as well.

3. If the barrier isn’t going to be permanently in one location, weight and mobility will be an issue, so wheels should be designed into the end product. Wheels open a new can of worms with the issue of ground clearance leaving space for sound leakage between the floor and the bottom of the barrier. This is easily solved by cutting sheets of fiberglass and/or plywood that fit into this space after the barriers are moved into place.

4. 4 separate isolators will be needed to make an adequate barrier in a square shape around the subject unless the subject is put in a corner (then you’d only need two). Each one should be exactly the same and should be wide enough to encapsulate a drummer and all his drums, since that will likely be the largest space you’ll need to isolate during a normal session.

B. Get materials. (more…)